Finding Anonymous
by Camomile Tea
Summary: It began with a sweaty day, a strong will, and a cinnamon-scented handkerchief. One-Shot.


**Summary**_: It began with a sweaty day, a strong will, and a cinnamon-scented handkerchief._

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**_Finding Anonymous_**

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It was hot that day.

Actually, scratch that. It was _sizzling_ hot.

Despite the weather that may instantly turn a chicken into a grilled dish, Uzumaki Naruto remained practicing and honing his ninja skills at the usual training ground. He trained almost every day lately; even though he just got back from a mission a few days ago. He had been practicing since then.

He was, these days, considered as the village's hero, and for that he felt that had to keep up to everybody's expectation. It was still a bit awkward for him to receive the people's recognition, being the Kyuubi boy who used to be shunned and avoided.

Naruto was glad, nevertheless. He had promised himself to protect all of Konoha, striving to become the next Hokage – a darn good one, at that. So he'd train, and train every day.

His legs were starting to shake. He had been using his chakra and energy for a few hours, so it wasn't really surprising that he started to feel slightly exhausted. But he didn't want to stop. Not yet, at least.

…His body said otherwise.

The wood stump that he used to practice taijutsu in front of him started to look blurry. He felt lightheaded and the heat seemed to make it all worse. Not to mention his bruised knuckles and fingers after he punched the wood with his fists over and over.

The self-proclaimed future Hokage decided to call it a day. Instantly, he slumped to the ground and leaned his head to the wooden stub. The tiredness was taking over him, as his eyes grew heavier and heavier until he closed his eyes, giving in.

_Sigh._

It was not long until he went deeper into sleep. But right before his whole consciousness disappear, he felt something soft and pleasantly cold made its way across his face, brushing against his skin gently, somehow relaxing his nerves.

Ah…

Did Heaven come to visit him on Earth?

Too tired to open his eyes, he let himself enjoy the nice feeling that washed through him. He wasn't able to really recognize the chakra he felt nearby, as he was unfocused, but it wasn't unknown either.

Oh, it was familiar. He'd know later, for sure. Later…

… And he fell asleep.

When he woke up, he felt something a bit cold and rather damp was resting on his forehead. He reached for it, and realized that it was a soft, somewhat fluffy fabric as soon as his palm touched the object. Smelt like cinnamon, too. The guy huffed and let a smile crept on his lips.

…

That day, Naruto went home with less sweat, a cinnamon-scented handkerchief, and a question on his mind.

::

It was a windy, cold day.

The clouds resembled a thick blanket of the sky, hiding the sun from Konoha's view. Maybe it would rain soon, seeing as the clouds were turning into a darker shade of grey; presumably a pretty harsh downpour.

Naruto shuddered as the chilly wind tickled the back of his neck. He rubbed the cold spot with his hands in an attempt to slightly warm it. It felt better, a little. Still…

"Ah… choo!"

_Sniff._

Even ninjas had a hard time against a fairly frosty weather.

It wasn't even near to winter yet. But admittedly, rainy days in Konoha were usually as cold as this, so he guessed he should have had expected it. Although considering the scorching heat a few days ago, the weather did seem to be getting pretty unpredictable lately.

Naruto rubbed his nose and put his hands in his pockets. He had arrived at the Training Ground, planning to exercise again. Plenty of time were left for the rest of his day, so might as well warm his body up with a decent exercise.

"It better not rain soon," he muttered.

_Grumble, grumble._

Somehow, it wasn't the sound of the rumbling thunder. Naruto winced at the sound of his own stomach.

"Man…"

He almost couldn't believe that his tummy just had to complain at that moment. Couldn't it just wait until dinnertime? He sighed. Although a warm bowl of Ichiraku Ramen wouldn't be so bad right now - especially in such weather like this.

Oh God, he might start drooling soon.

Even the humid air seemed to carry the smell of delicious ramen soup. The scent of its warm broth, with a little bit of beef and dried seaweed and _miso_ seasoning and –

Wait.

Naruto sniffed the air and looked around.

There was a ramen. Sitting peacefully upon the tree stump he practiced on yesterday.

He might even swear that he saw a halo showed above the innocent-looking bowl.

Carefully, he examined the warm bowl of ramen and checked in case there was an exploding tag somewhere on it. But all that he saw was a small note with neat, meticulous handwriting that said, "To Naruto-kun."

He frowned. Was it a trap set for him?

Glancing at the small note, he shook his head. Someone who called him 'Naruto-kun' must be one of his friends. But who knows, what if it was a misleading clue? What if it was poisonous?

Was this ramen somehow related to the handkerchief before? Then, the anonymous person must be nice, right?

Naruto was baffled.

The ramen didn't look anything like a take-away Ichiraku Ramen, either. If anything, it seemed more _handmade_.

Nevertheless, he was too hungry to think. He gulped, and took the bowl's edge near to his mouth.

_Come what may._

Slowly, he drank the soup from the bowl and his eyes widened in an instant. "This… This is good!"

Of course, the ramen didn't last long.

He flashed a satisfied grin and patted his full stomach. That was a really nice meal; it wasn't poisonous or dangerous at all. It was wonderful and delicious, in fact. Whoever made that for him deserved a big, big thank you.

That, which made him wonder again.

After eating the tasty ramen, Naruto felt warm enough and so full that he decided to postpone the training session until later. A little nap would do, but he made sure not to forget to limber up his muscles afterward.

He closed his eyes and sighed in bliss.

…

That day, Naruto went home with warmth and a craving for another anonymous ramen bowl.

::

It was a warm, sunny day.

The sun was not shining too bright, and the wind put up a good teamwork with being not too dry or too humid. The clouds drifted lazily amidst the vast blue sky, and the air was cool. It was the perfect weather, so to say.

But Naruto's mind was not as calm as the day had been.

Over these past days, he couldn't help but wonder and think about the strange – although still nice – things he found that had helped him in some certain ways. Somehow he wasn't able to recognize _that someone_ who had done these things for him. He really wanted to thank the mysterious person, since it definitely felt really nice knowing that somebody had cared for him.

Out of his thankful feeling and curiosity, he was determined to find out just who it was. So he came up with a brilliant plan.

Er… a _slightly_ silly plan. But well, worth a shot, right?

Naruto was on the usual Training Ground, at the usual time, sitting on the ground while leaning against the usual tree stump. Closing his eyes, he tried to sense any chakra nearby. And felt none.

_A clever shinobi, then._

He smirked a little.

"Ah… so tired!" he said loudly; practically shouting. He winced at how noisy and exaggerated he sounded, but he had to make sure his voice was loud enough for that guy to hear him, knowing that person was nearby, somehow. "I wish I could have a massage right now. That'd be great!"

He inwardly chuckled as he heard a few rumbles from the bushes nearby.

"Well, I guess I'll just go to sleep now."

And that was what he did - pretending, of course.

Eyes closed, he waited for any movements from the Anonymous, but felt no signs. Still, his determination stayed strong. He decided to wait a bit longer. Perhaps after five minutes, that person would show up.

Five minutes passed, yet still nothing. Resolved, he waited.

Ten minutes passed, and he was starting to wonder if he really wasn't all alone.

After fifteen minutes, Naruto started to doubt his predictions and was about to get up - until he heard faint, light footsteps approaching him.

He felt a tiny pair of hands placed on his shoulders, and he knew that the owner of those hands must felt a bit nervous as the palms were shaking ever so slightly. Those unknown pair of hands started to work its magic by pressing his shoulders gently, giving him exactly what he had asked. The touch was pleasantly relaxing and it felt _very _nice.

Naruto was starting to enjoy the small relaxation he was given, but of course – the plan must be executed.

Much to the Anonymous' surprise, he grinned broadly and grabbed the wrists of the hands that rested on his shoulders. He turned around and got up in a fast, swift motion, pulling Anonymous along with him.

He might have pulled too hard, for the other person wobbled then crashed against him. He didn't keep his body balance well, either.

So they fell together.

Naruto grimaced when his body collided with the sandy, rough ground. "Ouch… Hey, uh, are you alright?"

The blonde guy glanced downward and found silky, raven strands of hair in his sight, with the same scent of cinnamon and vanilla.

His eyes widened instantly.

"H-Hinata?"

The said person slowly looked up and met his eyes.

_Gasp._

She quickly got up from him, looking really flustered with pink tints on her cheeks that seemed to grow darker every second. "Ah! I-I-I'm sorry, Naruto-kun! I'm so sorry, are you - ?"

"It's okay, I'm alright, Hina - "

"Sorry! I – "

"- It's okay, Hinata," he reassured, chuckling a little at her flabbergasted state. "So are you… uh, the one?"

The Hyuuga heiress blinked, clearly perplexed. "E-Eh?"

Naruto felt like smacking himself in the head. _The one?_ "I mean, was it you? Who treated me with this handkerchief," he reached to his pocket and took out the soft fabric, "and leave me that amazing ramen?"

There was a silent pause.

Hinata's face was boiling red, with widened hesitant eyes.

"N-No."

She looked away.

Naruto simply sniggered at her poor attempt at lying.

"No?"

She glanced at him, and then sighed guiltily. "…Y-Yes."

The smile on Naruto's face grew wider. Never had he thought that it was her; but it was actually a pleasant surprise.

"But, why? I mean, you didn't owe me anything, and I couldn't find a reason for you to do these nice things for me."

Hearing his words, her head slowly tilted upwards and her pale tender eyes gazed at him.

"There are… plenty of reasons," she blushed. "I-It's just that you've been training so hard, Naruto-kun, and I couldn't bear to just watch –"

"You've watched me?" Naruto asked, amused.

"I-I… But it's not that I was stalking y-"

"You were stalking me?"

"Ah, n-no!" she blushed madly, while Naruto playfully laughed. "Please continue, Hinata."

Hinata swallowed. "I… I just wanted to help you, since you've helped me in so many ways. You've helped me at my weakest moments, and I wanted to return the favor." She glanced at him, eyes met eyes. Her insecurities surfaced a while, for at that fleeting moment, she looked as fragile as ever.

"Watching you training so hard every day, so determined and strong… You really are an inspiration, Naruto-kun. And I… I wanted to become just like you."

He froze.

Mixed feelings danced upon his eyes - perplexity, amazement, curiosity, relief, happiness, as well as other feelings he couldn't identify. His eyes were fixated on her petite figure, on her twiddling fingers and tender, milky eyes.

He had helped her? _He_, the most insensitive, goofy person ever in Konoha's history?

Feeling the sincere honesty that radiated from her, his eyes softened - along with his heart.

His chest felt tight.

"S-So…," she continued awkwardly. "That's why I wanted to at least do something for y-you, out of… many… reasons. Um, b-but if you don't like it then I–"

She was cut off by a pair of big, ramen-scented arms that embraced her.

A small gasp escaped her lips abruptly as her blood rushed to her pale cheeks. "Thank you so much, Hinata," Naruto breathed, "for everything."

He couldn't help but smile.

Thinking back, she was his friend, yet he never really knew her much. Moreover, he wondered why he didn't try to find out all this time. She seemed nice – well, she _was_ nice, wonderful as well. She has grown into a fine kunoichi, with an unconventional strength in her. Before, he thought of her as a shy, soft, sort of dark person. But oh, she wasn't just all that. And he wanted to know more.

There was always time to catch up, right?

He let her go slowly, laughing when he saw her wide-eyed face.

"So, what's your favorite food, Hinata?"

"Eh?" she blinked. "Um… c-cinnamon rolls?"

"Cinnamon rolls it is!" He beamed and flashed a toothy grin towards the surprised – and baffled –Hyuuga.

Getting up, he held out a hand towards her, which she shyly accepted as they got up together. Hinata's questioning look made him chuckle as he gently pulled her up.

"Say, Hinata, do you know where the best place to eat cinnamon rolls is?"

She immediately blushed.

…

That day, Naruto went home with a full stomach, a wide grin, and a new special friend.

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**~x~x~x~**

**A/N:** I'm really sorry for the many grammatical errors, I'll do my best to practice more! I hope they didn't hurt too bad. ;_;

I took the idea of Hinata always being there for Naruto, taking care of him from afar, but I think I didn't portray that quite well, that's why I'm truly sorry if I've disappointed you... Still, I'm in love with this pairing! (:

I'd love to know what you think of the story - guidance, advices, or a simple 'I like/hate it' are much, much appreciated. (:

Thank you!

**~x~x~x~**

_**Edited: **Fixed some things. ;v;_**  
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